Council of Spartans
Also called CoS, Council of Spartans is a Chapter, or User created group that disscusses many things, including the Halo Trilogy. History Beginnings Council of Spartans started out as an idea in User Peacemaker777's head which developed and evolved in the 12 days in which it came to fruitarian. Along with Lord Snakie, who Peacemaker recognized for his controversial Rainbow Theory, they set up the rules, ranks, orders and group purpose; To provide a safe, fun environment to discuss aspects of the Halo Trilogy, particularly Halo 3 in general. However, the most surprising thing about CoS was it's rapid growth. Its rate of members joining rivals that of CompoundIntelligence, a fact of which all CoS members are proud of. Within 3 days, they had already grabbed 12 people. Another 3 days and that number jumped to 50. By this time, certain individuals had already let their major presence be known, like Lord Snakie and k4karnage. Within a month, many who would become CoS's most active and valuable members had joined, like Gzalzi, IIxShad0WxII, Lemons, grimreaper5150, lazerus and xDeathByWaffleSx. Then, the group got down to business. Within 2 weeks, the Membership jumped from 54-100, due to some extensive recruiting by Peacemaker and other key members. It was around this time that some changes were made that would affect CoS in ways no one saw coming. Changing of the Guard It was December 2006. Many people were doing the usual X-Mas season stuff. Shopping, having relatives over, going to relatives, etc. For CoS, this was when the Founding father of CoS, Peacemaker777, decided on some changes to the CoS structure. Peacemaker was busy with many things and couldn't tend to his brainchild as much as he had when it began. So, he made the decision to leave the CoS for a while in order to clear his schedule. In an announcement to both his Administration Staff and the general CoS population, he announced his departure and he also announced Lord Snakie as the new ruler of CoS. At least, for the time being. At first, things continued like always; recruiting, Forums, e-mails, etc. But, CoS under Lord Snakie's command changed rapidly. His second-in-command, IIxShad0WxII, saw many things about his leadership that did not sit well with her. However, she kept them to herself, only expressing her concern when she absolutely had to. Unfortunately, their relationship became strained over the next few months. By February, she was so fed up with Snakie's "god complex" that she began an underground resistance movement to overthrow Snakie and undo his wrongs. Many of CoS's resident Admin Staff joined, with the main co-conspirtiers being grimreaper5150 and Gzalzi. However, some people thought IIxShad0WxII was overreacting. Assault on Mind was one of these people. Unfortunately, his on-the-fence nature caused him to leak to the remaining CoS loyalists Lord Snakie, Lemons and Mastersniper_123 that there was a resistance moving against them. This was the end of CoS as we knew it. Snakie, unsure what to do in such a harsh situation with no legal authority to do anything without consulting his council, was baffled- he had no Council anymore, just four loyal members, and this wasn't exactly the time for a meeting. As such, he decided to blacklist the dissidents and leave them for Peacemaker to sort out. They wouldn't have any of that, however, and just unbanned themselves and banned him back. Having no time to discuss with the remaining loyal admins and having the ability, he kicked all of the dissidents, a necessary move, but one that he would regret forever. Trials and Tribulations IIxShad0WxII blamed Snakie because of his overly pompous nature and his blatant disregard for her council. Lord Snakie blamed Shadow because she was overreacting and thought that she simply wanted the CoS for herself, not to mention that she often didn't share any of her concerns with him. He continued to voice, throughout all arguments, that he would hear nothing from any dissident because they refused to tell him even what they thought was wrong with him and his leadership. Lemons and Mastersniper_123 blamed the resistance for causing the feuding. grimreaper5150 and Gzalzi backed Shadow in her arguments against the Snakie Party, as they called it. The lines were drawn. The Resistance fought the Snakie Party at every turn. The only person not involved in the feuding was k4karnage. While he was a member of the resistance, he had no idea that the conflict would explode into what was taking place. It seemed, for a time, that the CoS was doomed to be destroyed. Peacemaker777 returned within this time, having settled his life down to where he could rejoin the CoS, but all he found was destruction. After learning of the blacklists, booting and subsequent lockdown of the Resistance Party, Peacemaker kicked Lord Snakie from his position of power and also severely punished every member involved in the feuding. All, except K4. After coming back and seeing what Peacemaker had seen, he immediately demanded to know what happened. Peacemaker told him he would update him when he had the whole story. However, before he could, he left again, for a reason still unknown to this day. During this time, the well known Separatists or Group Destroyers from the Sep-Elite War had noticed CoS and found that the internal controversy made it relatively easy to slide in and begin their conquest. Only after they made their first move by attempting to boot all members did Peacemaker see them and quickly return to defend CoS from assured destruction. He booted all of them, but several recent GD followers who participated in the attempted attack were left behind enemy lines. Not knowing what to do, they built themselves up in an attempt to gain some ties, in case the GDs ever returned for them. They did not. However, they were able to see the ties the sprouting GDs had made, and decided to lay low, slowly feeding their spies subtle orders. They continued watching, waiting.... Reconstruction Eventually, after most of the damage was done, Shadow gave in and took her loyal revolutionaries with her so Lord Snakie could try to repair the damage that was already done. Unfortunately, with the two overthrowing attempts, Peacemaker777 found the situation too grave to keep Lord Snakie in command. Lord Snakie was removed, and harsh words were said as to whether Peacemaker would leave again and kill the group off for good. Snakie was demoted all the way down, and Peacemaker did again leave. Snakie was devastated. k4karnage, who did not want to see CoS fall, after devoting so much time and effort to it, asked what he could do to help rebuild. Peacemaker and Lord Snakie reconciled, but never truly became friends again. Peacemaker reinstated Snakie as leader of the CoS and gave him some advice on rebuilding CoS. Peacemaker then left again, for the final time. He has not been seen in or around CoS since June 2007. Snakie then devised the ultimate reconstruction plan. He also persuaded some of the former Resistance members to rejoin and help in the reconstruction. IIxShad0WxII, grimreaper5150 and lazerus rejoined, but Gzalzi refused and has not returned to the CoS since. Reconciliation Before the Council could fully be healed, Snakie had to come to grips with IixShad0WxII's problems with him. So he talked for a while with her, and they came to an understanding, and even partnership. He also forgave Grim, and formally forgave every member of the Revolution. So, the seeds of reconstruction were planted. In this time, he formally gave IIxShad0WxII full partnership as his Second-In-Command, and forgave K4 of any supposed activity against him in the Revolution. So the CoS was ready to be born again, with a little operation called RELOAD. Operation: RELOAD Operation: RELOAD was Lord Snakie's plan to rebuild the CoS. It entailed a revamp of the Ranks, A new reporting system, a "clean up" of the Admin Staff; removing inactive members, promoting long needed members, etc; special duties and tasks assigned to many Admin Staff, and a top secret overhaul that cannot be discussed. The plan had little effect, save for a major boost in membership and some renewed activity in the Main Forum. Other plans have been proposed, in case of a major activity boom, but RELOAD continues to be the only effective confidence booster to CoS. Return of the Conquerors After several months of moving behind shadows, the Separatists declared war on the Elite community again, effectively renewing the S/E war. Since this declaration, more than 25 groups had fallen to the might of the Seps. However, CoS has attempted to strengthen the ties between it and some other strong groups they would like to see kept afloat, such as KOTOR. KOTOR had been unresponsive to the alliance request, thinking that they are safe from the conqueror threat. Talks were still continuing. More recently, however, an attempt was made on CoS's very Administration Staff, in an attempt to undermine this possible alliance. k4karnage, the third in command of CoS, was hacked by a group conqueror whose name is classified. Under the influence of the hacker, "k4" locked every thread in the CoS, blacklisted many innocent members, and destroyed almost all evidence of the conquerors actions. The conqueror eventually relinquished control of k4's account and after learning of the conquerors actions, CoS was temporarily locked down. After learning of the hackers actions, k4 became enraged and since then, has continued a personal attack on any conqueror, suspected or actual. After this, a new Zero-tolerance policy was put in effect into CoS's rulebook, which k4 has aggressively enacted in his moderating duties. The Second Changing of the Guard Ever since Peacemaker left and returned again and again, there was always issue with him taking control and leaving again. True, he had freely changed the Guard twice now. But Snakie wasn't satisfied. He had an almost electric, burning desire to see the Council grow and succeed. And with what he called the 'Peacemaker Variable' still in place, the CoS was still vulnerable. So, using his influence with Peacemaker, he got him to formally remove himself from command. So, at this time, Lord Snakie became the uncontested 'monarch' of the CoS, with no one who could object to his orders. Laws were put in place to limit his power. September 2007-April 2008 When September desended on CoS, the Administration Staff knew there was going to be a major drop in activity because of Halo 3. So, CoS was in DEEP FREEZE, to keep the forums and information flow minimal. The idea was a co-brainchild of k4 and Lord Snakie. Their reasoning was: "The fewer members we gain and the higher the inactivity of these months, the less we have to worry about the group as a whole and we can then focus on plans for it's restoration". The added bonus with this, they said, was "The less members we gain that would be active if the CoS was not an inactive group, the less members we waste at this time and can gain when it does become an inactive group". Seeing it as the best plan, Snakie and k4 put it into effect. After the end of DEEP FREEZE in January, the CoS planned to re-start Operation: RELOAD. At the beginning of April, a rapid series of events had occurred. Lord Snakie had a house fire, which caused RELOAD to falter for a while. But, near April, a problem occurred... The Conquerors, again, tried to re-start a war. It failed, however, but they managed to land a few shots on the CoS, which damaged k4's trust in the group's security and leadership. Over an argument about rules, k4 quit the group. Lord Snakie allowed him to go, and gave him an Dishonorable Discharge. Was k4 wrong, or was he like Lord Snakie years ago; an exiled leader fighting for what is right? We found out the day afterwords. k4 apologized for his actions and for his ways as of recently. He admitted to being under stress, and to being wrong. Lord Snakie removed his Dishonorable Discharge, but k4 prefered to remain absent from the group for some time longer, in a self-imposed exile. But, as for April, RELOAD began to come along smoothly. Calm Before the Storm In May, Snakie announced that he had done his part of RELOAD, and it was time for the other major wounder of the CoS, IIxShad0WxII, to finish the restoration so they could both fix what they both near-equally damaged. His resignation letter is saved in the Archives of the CoS, for all who want to see it. In his resignation, he revealed the 'Dark Side' of his leadership, and asked people to remember him as a bad leader who did right in the end. However, IIxShad0WxII disappeared from Bungie and all contact with her was dropped. Nobody knows where she went, but all the CoS knew was that she was not there. Lord Snakie was forced to retain his leadership past the date set by his resignation because there was nobody active to take command from him. Because of this, the small work that he had done with RELOAD degenerated back into full inactivity, since he had stated that he could not keep command and did not have the time to keep RELOAD going. The Catalyst and the Rebirth July began with a bit of a good note; k4 returned, in the form of BlacKarnagEnigma and resumed the work of a High Forum Moderator. For a while, things were good. Activity, still at dangerously low levels, was rising, little by little and the Admin Staff was going about their business. However, cracks began to form in between Lord Snakie and BKE when they both began to pursure their own versions of progressive movement in CoS. It came to a head in the last week of July, when, in a routine meeting with MS_123 and Lord Snakie, BKE began pushing his boundaries, when he and MS_123 questioned Snakie on his plans for CoS. The conversation turned into a heated discussion, then to an outright fight when all three were critisising each other. Tempers flared, insults were thrown, but the worst was yet to come. After several minutes of this, Lord Snakie announced that he was through. Somewhat stunned, MS and BKE listened in on his massive rant about how he had done so much and worked so hard for CoS and that all his subjects, including BKE, had continued to push him, even when he said he could give no more. He told MS and BKE that if they wanted the group so badly, they could have it. BKE began publicly bashing Snakie in a Forum thread. Snakie gave Full Control to BKE and promptly left the group. The next day, BKE met with the other now two top-teir members, Noobinified and MS_123, and they discussed their next move. BKE, having stated that he didn't want FC. gave the power to MS_123 and gave SIC to Noobinified. He willingly took the TIC position under them. The following night, IIxShad0WxII returned and was dumbstruck by the massive changes to CoS. Immediatly, she called Noobinified, MS_123 and BKE into a meeting and they hammered out the details of everything since her disappearance. She quietly took it all in and said that she would talk withLord Snakie when she got the chance. For about 4 days, very little was said between the Administration Staff, most just steeming with their own angers. About a week after the Catalyst, the Administration Staff, including jmh9072 and WalkinBonfire, finally all met and the meeting began. IIxShad0WxII asked for a complete, unbiased explanation of the events of the Catalyst and after hearing it, and BKE and Lord Snakie's arguments, she began crating the way for the Higher-Ups to become unfractured. However, even after the 3 hour-long meeting was over, Snakie still had the intention of leaving CoS entirely. A few days after, another meeting was called, to decide what the new structure of CoS's government would be. MS_123's proven template in TAoW was chosen. After, Snakie began bringing up concerns of the new Master Chief, which was supposed to be Mastersniper_123. A short vote reaffirmed MS_123's place in the seat of power, and Snakie again had doubts of being wanted in the Reborn CoS. jmh9072 met with him and convinced him to stay. Shortly after, BKE and Snakie met and partialy reconciled, agreeing to at least tolerate each other while in the CoS together. Stonewalled The complete structure of the CoS Chain of Command was finalised, with MS_123 as Master Chief, Lord Snakie and IIxShad0WxII as his Senior advisors(Spartan-IIs) and BlacKarnagEnigma, Noobinified and WalkinBonfire as minor advisors(Spartan-IIIs). However, a few months after the Rebirth, activity literaly was stonewalled. The majority of the new government either left or moved to new groups. While Lord Snakie, and occasionaly BlacKarnagEnigma, represent CoS in a new, large conglomerate of B.net groups, the actually CoS has degraded into a very small community of only 12 real members. An "election" is underway by this revival group to position a LuckyPlayer as the new leader. His current government composition proposition is of a Communist type. Administration Staff The current government structure of CoS is undetermined at this point. This section is merely a refrence to the last-known official record of hierarchy. The current list of moderators and high officials. (Subject to change without notice) (In order of importance/Command Structure) *'jmh9072' :News/Game Executive- He does the news and organizes games. *'No current Colonels' :Colonel-Council Representative(s) *'No current Spartans' :Spartan- High member in group, enforcers, delegates, workers of the Administration Staff *'BlacKarnagEnigma', Noobinified, WalkinBonfire :Spartan-III-Executive Moderator(s), Third-In-Command(s) *'IIxShad0WxII, Lord Snakie' :Spartan-II-Executive Officer(s), Second-In-Command(s) *'Mastersniper_123' :Master Chief-Leader of CoS Retired Officers (In order of dates of retire) *'Peacemaker777' **''Founder''-Creator of the CoS :-Laws and regulations forced him into retirement *'GodsGunman' **''Colonel''-Moderator/Representative :-Honorably Discharged *'DarkDragon X' **''Colonel''-Moderator/Representative :-Honorably Discharged *'Assault on Mind' **''Spartan''-Representative/Enforcer :-Honorably Disgharged *'Lemons' **''Spartan''-Representative/Enforcer :-Left Administration Staff position *'grimreaper5051' **''Spartan''-Representative/Enforcer :-Left Administration Staff position *'Spartan_126' **''Spartan''-Representative/Enforcer :-Left Administration Staff position Ranks These are the current ranks in CoS. They majorly reflect the rates and ranks of the Untied States Armed Forces, with combinations and some odd discrepancies in seniority, but are intended to tell members who 's who and who to NOT offend, lest they earn a blacklisting. Standard Ranks *'Non-Member' - Self-explanitory *'Petty officer' - The basic rank of all new CoS members. *'Chief Petty Officer' - Just above PO, you need to recruit at least 2-5 people or be continually active for at least one week to earn a promotion. *'Sergeant' - Above a CPO, but under a Captain, most of the Sergeants are what the Administration Squad uses to check the universal thoughts of the CoS. They are far from the most numerous, but most people make it to this rank, making it a very safe rank to check. *'Captain'- Above Seargeant, the Captains are the errand-runners to the Majors. They tell of minor forum problems and such things to the Majors, who deal with it. *'Major' - Above Captain and the highest rank not in the Administration Staff, these members have been useful to the Admin Staff and are either comfortable not being on the Admin Staff, or are candidates for a promotion to Colonel. Even if they do not receive a promotion, most Majors are not reverted back to Captains. To earn this rank without nomination for Colonel, you must be exemplary in your hopefully numerous Forum threads, have been active continuously for about 2 months and recruited about 20-35 new members. They are the Administration Squad's direct hand in the CoS and are also the main players in the Moderation Department. Administration Ranks (NOTE: To attain the following ranks, you must be nominated by the rest of the Admin Staff, specifically the Spartans(Spartan-IIIs) and up for exemplary conduct) *'Colonel' - The base of the Admin Staff, these members have served CoS for about 3-5 months and have demonstrated they are ready for the harrowing tasks of the Admin Staff. You must have been nominated by a Spartan or member of a higher rank''(which, trust me, there aren't many more). After receiving enough votes, or being chosen by the Second-In-Command or Master Chief themselves, you will be sworn in and your task will be assigned. You represent the non-Admin pool of CoS, and as such, you are responsible for their conduct and requests of the other Admin Staff. *'Spartan''' - We didn't name it Council of Spartans for nothing. You are the more senior Colonels, chosen for advancement based on approximately 1-3 months of life as a Colonel and any achievements made based on YOUR actions. If you reach this rank, you have come to know what is expected of you and demand of you is overwhelmed with your supplies. You will be much more involved with the higher decisions of the Council, but the Master Chief and his Spartan-IIs ultimately decide everything. *'Spartan-III' - The second most senior rank you can achieve without being chosen to replace an outgoing Master Chief, this rank is given to electee(s) who show they have been with the CoS for about 6-9 months and have shown exemplary conduct throughout their time at CoS. These folks will be some of the most well-known members in CoS and have long proven that they are ready for the trials this rank entials. Only the Master Chief/Spartan-IIs decide the Spartan-IIIs. *'Spartan-II' - The absolute most senior rank you can achieve without being chosen to replace an outgoing Master Chief, this rank is given to electee(s) who show they have been with the CoS for about 7-9 months and have shown exemplary conduct throughout their time at CoS. Many of the other Admin Staff will know this person, along with the Master Chief themselves, as the MC is the final deciding factor in a S-II election. Many other members will have retired before they reach this rank, but only the most incredible members will be chosen in a S-II election. *'Master Chief ' - This rank cannot be achieved unless an outgoing, or retiring, Master Chief appoints a member to this position. This Rank has only seen 3 members with the title, and the Master Chief has been someone who joined CoS from the very beginning. It also the only rank that no one can vote a member in. This person is the best at every aspect of the CoS and usually the first person you go to for a major decision or issue. One of the few requirements, except for the outgoing Master Chief's direct appointment, is that a member must be at least a Spartan or the Second-In-Command to get the appointment. However, the MC can bend this rule if no one that meets the requirement is available. This person is a legend in CoS and everyone can name the MC without hesitation. They are, as you may have guessed, the leader of CoS and relate more to a monarchy's King than a democracy's President, as they have control over EVERY faucet of CoS. Specialty Rank(s) This rank is achieved only out of two things: Exemplary Conduct in your life at CoS, or Necessity of the times. *'News/Game Executive' - This rank is given to any member Colonel and above who applies for it. The duties of the N/GE are to set up, control, and deal the winnings of the Forum Games in the CoS. If you happen to win one of the games, they will deal you the reward, so don't piss this person off. They have the right to refuse the reward to anyone they deem undeserving. (NOTE: If the reward of a game is a +1(or above)'' promotion, you can only receive this until the rank of Major. You must be ELECTED to Colonel and above by the Admin Staff)'' The Eras of the CoS There are 4 main eras to the CoS, so far. The First Era (Also known as the "Old CoS") is the era that encompasses the time of Peacemaker and his colonels. The first era includes all of the people that were with the CoS and in the administration squad at/before Peacemaker resigned his position the first time. This era includes the remaining members: *Peacemaker777 *Lord Snakie *IIxShad0WxII *Gzalzi *GrIm5150 *Mastersniper_123 *Lemons *Lazerus *k4karnage The Crust Era is the most inactive era. It's the era that holds the least people in it (1), and encompasses the time between when Lord Snakie took control and December 31, 2007. Even with that VERY broad timetable, it holds the least and most inactive of the remaining administration squad, 1 person who's name happens to be: *jmh9072 The Pre-Catalyst Era is the era that encompasses all members during January-June '08. This category includes: *WalkinBonfire *rst7053 *ODST27 The Rebirth Era, the newest era, has undergone a complete reworking of CoS, after the Catalyst. It includes most of the old members, but several new ones are present as well. *Mastersniper_123 *Lord Snakie *IIxShad0WxII *BlacKarnagEnigma *Noobinified *WalkinBonfire *jmh9072 *Big Vokes *LuckyPlayer26 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::